New iMacs Add Tons of Value

I was really pleased to see Apple's latest iMac G5 release. Apple has taken a great product and just thrown in a ton of extra value. Processing power aside, the new iMacs now include an Airport Extreme and Bluetooth, a 8x double-layer Superdrive, 512 MB RAM (finally standard), ATI 9600 128 Meg graphics card and double the hard drive space. These changes along with the Tiger rollout are awesome changes to the product line. With those specs and great software like iLife and Tiger it's a fantastic package any switcher or existing Mac user can appreciate.

The Hidden Costs of an iPod

During each trip to my local apple store I keep an eye on what people purchase. I am astounded by the staggering growth in the accessory market for the iPod. If there's something you need for your iPod you’re sure to find it. The accessory list seems endless with items such as armbands, cases, wireless transmitters, base stations, audio recorders, power adapters, USB cables, headsets, extra battery packs, charging stands and extra cables. Customers are flocking to Apple stores and other retailers to outfit their iPods for their personal taste. While some accessories are only $20, some are well into $300 range often costing more than the device itself. All these accessories put forth the question “How much the REAL cost of an iPod is?” As long as the iPod product remains healthy the iPod accessory market will remain healthy as well.

Review: iSight

One of my hardware issues when moving over to the Mac Mini was related to my video camera. The Logitech video camera I owned was old and PC only so I was in the market for a Mac compatible camera. While reviewing my various camera options I couldn’t stop myself from coming back to the iSight over and over again. The iSight’s appeal was two fold. First, it looks beautiful. It’s sleek, modern and just cool. Second, the iSight has a high quality auto focus that was essential for me to have. What I didn’t like about the iSight was its price. It is at the high end of the desktop camera price range listing at around $150. When researching what others thought of the camera I read dozens of articles of those who never used the camera, but considered it a waste of money compared to other mid price point webcam products. I recently purchased an iSight and could not be happier. Those who compare the iSight with a mid price point webcam are really not being fair. The iSight is superior in quality and hence its price point (plus a bit of Apple price padding). No one ever said the iSight was for everyone. As a switcher from Windows I had one problem with the device. The newer iSights, including the one I purchased, do not include an attachment for non Apple monitors. This was a real disappointment after opening the box. Through the documentation I learned I could purchase an accessory kit for $32 to get what I needed. After spending $150 on a camera I didn't want to spend another $32. The newer camera attachments are focused on Apple’s new aluminum products, laptops and the iMac. The packaging should be clearer with the attachment situation so the buyer can be aware. Excluding the attachment issue I’ve found the camera to be fantastic. The auto focus is excellent and the built in microphone works extremely well. I highly recommend the Apple iSight.

Review: Dot Mac

Technology solutions come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Apple’s Dot Mac is a little bit of all things. Dot Mac is a collection of web based services that are knit together to provide a variety of options. Dot Mac is about integrating the data on your Mac with the Internet. One of its features called Homepage lets even the most novice user become a web based publisher with stylish and attractive web pages that look anything but amateurish. Homepage allows you to select photos from your iPhoto collection and publish them to your own web site. The complexity of learning the web publishing process is brushed out of the way. Another feature of Dot Mac is its ability to synchronize data on your Mac with the Internet or other Macs. Using iSync or the Tiger integrated Dot Mac sync, you can replicate settings like your contacts, calendar, mail settings, bookmarks and more on one Mac to another. Dot Mac also offers the ability to store files on your computer on the Dot Mac server that can be accessed anywhere on the Internet via PCs for Macs. The iDisk, as it is called, can be used to backup files from your PC or Mac or can be used as repository for accessing documents remotely. Dot Mac also includes backup software allowing you to backup files and user settings to a CD, DVD, network drive or your iDisk. While Microsoft Windows includes a backup program the Mac does not. This is not the only backup software option but is a good value when packaged with other Doc Mac services. The Dot Mac service also includes a mac.com email address providing web based access to your email. Free email services like Gmail and Yahoo mail are comparable in form. Throughout your Dot Mac membership you'll have access to special offers from 3rd part companies. Apple will also provide bonus freebees such as loops for Garage Band or Widgets for Dashboard in Tiger (yet to be released as of this writing). Dot Mac is an incredible value to someone who currently doesn't have a method for obtaining the above services. With each feature of Doc Mac you use by means of another provider the value goes down greatly. Many have suggested Dot Mac should provide an al la carte service but that is unlikely to happen. Dot Mac does have a few frustrations. For example, Dot Mac only provides 250 Megs of disk space provided for email and iDisk. With disk space so cheap and with services like Yahoo and Gmail offering gigs of space for free Apple should up theirs as well to maintain the value of its product. iDisk is also extremely slow when transferring data up or down and I’ve found it more of a hassle than it’s worth. The challenge to the Dot Mac service is how can it grow. Tiger is providing minor changes to Dot Mac for better integration. If 3rd party software developers take advantage of the Dot Mac platform that will help increase the value. Apple alone can't grow the Dot Mac service. Overall, Dot Mac provides some compelling features for $99 a year. Dot Mac’s integration with the Mac OS and its various applications is fantastic.

Unreleased Tiger #1 on Amazon

The enthusiasm for Apple's new OS release called Tiger is showing on Amazon. Amazon has provided a $35 rebate incentive which has helped create interest and excitement from Apple loyalist and those Apple fans eager to see the latest OS. With rumors of Tiger going Gold and ready to ship, many feel that the Tiger release is only days or weeks away. While many thought the release would happen at the Summer Developers Conference it clearly makes sense to release now. Holding the release until the conference would not provide enough opportunity to explore the product prior to the conference. With the product released first you'll have a mountain of enthusiasm leading up to the Summer.

3rd Party Switching Saviors

I've now been using a Mac daily for a few weeks now. While the switch has been easy overall I found a number of applications that have been a real help. This blog will focus on a few of those applications.

Launchbar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/)
"It provides instant access to thousands of files and folders, contacts and bookmarks, applications and preference panes just by entering short abbreviations of the searched item's name. You just hit Command-Space to bring LaunchBar's input window to front, enter an arbitrary abbreviation, and as soon as you start typing LaunchBar displays the best matching choices, ready to be opened immediately." I manage my environment by keyboard strokes as much as possible and on the Mac I found it very difficult to as I did with Windows. Launchbar is so powerful that beginners and power users will love it.

Witch (http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/25871)
While OS X allows the ability to switch between application using Alt-Tab there are limits. In the Windows world each and every window is represented by an icon in the Alt-Tab list. This makes it very easy to switch between various windows. The problem on OS X is that you could have five Safari windows to toggle between, but Alt-Tab doesn't display each window. OS X forces you to switch to the application and then navigate to the correct window. Of course Expose could aid in this process, but Expose doesn't consistently provide the convenience of a functional Alt-Tab. Now enter Witch. Witch provides all the functionality of individual window switching as well as providing the name of the Window along with grouping windows of the same application together. It's fantastic and has been a real aid in helping me switch.

X Resource Graph (http://www.gauchosoft.com/xrg)
This application addressed an issue for the geek in me. While I like Activity Monitor and feel it's much better than the Windows Task Manager it has some limits. When my workstation seems to have some performance issue I like to check things like memory, CPU and network traffic. Activity Monitor doesn't provide the ability to view multiple system counters on the Dock. With X Resource Graph I'm able to display a variety of system counters, weather, stocks, etc. I'm able to resize and position the counters anywhere on my screen and I have immediate access to view the information. I tried two or three utilities providing the same features and found this one to be the best. There are bound to be a dozen others on Versiontracker I didn't look at, but this was filled the void I had and has worked well.

Doug's AppleScripts for iTunes (http://www.dougscripts.com/itunes/index.php)
If you're an iTunes user on the Mac this is a must know about site. The site provides solutions to just about all of iTunes shortcomings. With my Mac/iTunes configuration I store all my iTunes music on a Windows workstation. It works great, however, if I delete music from iTunes it doesn't delete from its source location. This is an issue for any iTunes user who stores music outside of their Music directory. I'm not quite clear what Apple was thinking here, but with scripting solution from Doug it doesn't matter anymore. Doug's script allows me to delete any tracks in iTunes and the script takes care of deleting the songs from my Windows box. Awesome!

RadioRecorder (http://u1.netgate.net/~snowcat/RadioRecorder.html)
I remember sitting in my room as a preteen and recording the radio with a tape deck so I could listen to the music from the radio later. Today, I listen to radio on the Internet and record the music to my hard drive to listen to. Same concept with different methods for the period of time. There are a few good programs on the Windows side I've used for years to capture streams, but had a hard time finding one for the Mac that 1) I liked and 2) had the right price. RadioRecorder met all my requirements. It's user interface provides access to all the options I need and for free it's perfect. It may not look as polished as other products, but with features like transferring music directly into iTunes and scheduling it does more than enough for me. It even captures the sound stream independent of what you're listening to on your computer. This frees you up to listen to one thing and recording another.

Export-Import Entourage (http://scriptbuilders.net/category.php?search=Export-Import+Entourage+X)
Simply put, I could not have moved from Office 2003 on the Windows side to Office 2004 without these scripts. The process is raw and rough around the edges, but the results are worth it for migrating data over from one platform to the other with the most amount of accuracy. Other application I tried for converting data were not as reliable.

All of the programs above have been a tremendous help in settle as I switch into the Mac world. Check them out if you have a chance.

Crossing the Software Divide

Switching to a Mac isn't easy. There are dozens of questions that come up about software. As a Windows user you become used to having dozens upon dozens of options with software. When you hear about the limited selection of products for Mac it's a bitter pill to swallow. When switching from Windows to Mac you really need to think out what software you'll use. Below is a quick guide of items potential Mac users should investigate their future options. For those items where Apple includes an application with "OS X" I'll include the name in paraenthesis.

Browsing (Safari)
Email (Mail)
Music (iTunes)
Photos (iPhoto)
Video Editing (iMovie)
Antivirus
Contacts (Address Book)
Personal Finance (Quicken included on certain product lines)
Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Presentations
DVD Burning (iDVD)
Instant Messaging (iChat)

Note: I intentionally left off AppleWorks because it is such a poor performer. Free products like http://www.officeoffice.org are available.

The above list is just a sample of applications most likely to be used. While it's one thing to know what application you're going to use it's another learning how to use it. There's discomfort in switching for most users, but for the average user who shows enough resistence to Microsoft it's good to know you can focus on learning the new software and not selecting it.

Comments to Apple's Request for Switcher Experiences

Apple recently invited switchers to tell their story on the Apple web site. I couldn't resist. Thoughts on my Mac Mini to come. Below is the story I shared.

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I've been a serious PC user for a long, long time. I used to be a Microsoft Certified Trainer and I hold my Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (plus Internet) certifications NT and 2000. Many moons ago I had an Apple iie and then in the very early 90s I had, from I remember, an 80 meg hard drive in a MacClassic. After 94 I never really touched or looked at an Apple again.

I remember seeing the switch ads and hearing the Windows Admin guy talk about how he had switched, but that still wasn't enough to make me take notice. Early versions of X were not very impressive and Windows XP was overall a very good product as far as Microsoft goes and did everything I needed (XP has not crashed on me once in over a year of owning it).

It wasn't until the Apple store opened on Michigan Ave in Chicago that I really took notice for the following reasons.
1. The Apple staff. Really nice and down to earth guys. No pressure staff. Awesome free classes in their theater.
2. Really cool looking products. I loved the design of the iMac. The PowerMac also had a really cool look and finally started showing performance compared to intel/amd. Apple makes conversation pieces.
3. Realizing what Mac people already know. I love Tivo and over three years ago I was telling everyone about mine. Apple people tend to be the same way. I started thinking about how I was with Tivo compared to the Apple obsessed. I started thinking, "what could those Apple folks have that makes them so excited? If I'm as excited about the Tivo because I think it's so great then maybe there's something about Apple that's worth checking out. It is interesting how you have Mac users who are in love with the product, but you don't see that on the Microsoft side. No one brags about Windows. Users never chose Windows – it was handed to them.
4. OS X. I find it so much easier to get to what I need on a Mac. When Microsoft talks about XP being an "experience" they really have nothing to stand up against compared to OS X. The OS is just fun and great to look at. I never said that about any Windows product. Of course stable and secure are important traits.
5. iLife. I brag about iLife. Good software that keeps getting better. All included. All integrated. This is hard to sell to customers. They need to see and use it to understand the value and power.
6. Spyware/viruses. I always feel nervous on my Windows workstation with the amount of risk there.
7. The Apple Store. Having the Genius Bar is just Genius. The stores are just fun.

A little more history on my path to Apple. In Dec 03 I was making a big computer purchase. I was deciding between a PowerMac and a Dell 4600. The Powermac was incredibly expensive for less CPU power (I conducted my own tests of converting MP3 files to AAC - that was enough benchmarking for me). At the time I had special software for my PC and Virtual PC was not out for the G5 at that time. I ended up with a Dell. About six months later I was offered a great deal on a 766Mhz Quicksilver PowerMac, but after using it for a month it was just way too slow. The rest of the Mac product line was just too expensive and the Emac had zero appeal. Then came the Mini Mac. The Mini was perfect. The price was low enough to justify a second computer. I already had a 19 inch monitor I could use. My Logitech keyboard was already Mac ready. I was ready to go.

I've slowly moved over just about everything I do on my PC on to the Mac Mini. I use my PC to host all my data files including my iTunes music. If I need to use my Windows XP Professional I just connect with the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection tool (better than Virtual PC!). There's nothing I need for my day-to-day needs that include streaming music, browsing, mail, contacts, calendar, chat, stream ripping, etc... The interface just makes it a pleasure to work on. I just look at the Mac Mini on my desk and just think "how cool!".

Proud owner of a Mac Mini

After months of Apple desire I finally jumped in and purchased a Mac Mini. It was incredibly difficult to resist with its reasonable price point. I was concerned about the speed of the Mini, but for all of my day-to-day tasks I find that it's perfect. I'll blog some of my thoughts on it over the next few weeks.

Impact of Napster Superbowl Ad

At this year's Superbowl, Napster took iTunes head on. Napster's concept is based on a service. There are no gimmicks. You pay $14.99 per month and you have access to a million songs. However, the catch is, you only have access to the song as long as you keep paying your monthly fee. The music expires as soon as you stop paying. On the other hand, Apple's iTunes has no monthly fee, but you only hear what you pay for. Most tunes are $.99.

So what's a customer to make of all of this? A lot of the decision is based on how often you cycle through a variety of tunes and how much you're willing to pay for. At $180 a year with Napster you're talking a lot of money for me. However, many do pay out this much for music in a year. The problem with the Napster service comes down to the ownership factor. When a Napster user leaves the service they are left with absolutely nothing, but their auditory memories. This is where the Napster model fails. The desire to own music is as rock solid today as it was during the L.P. While the Napster ad might generate some consumer interest and a brief spike, it's model does not hold for the long term.

Mac Mini All Hands On Review

I finally made it to the Apple store to check out the new Mac Mini. Just looking at it you can't help but think "how on earth did they cram all that in there?" Apple continues to amaze with its new designs starting first with the new iMac and now with the Mac Mini (which thankfully doesn't have an "i" in front of it). The power adapter is quite large and is so disproportionate in size to the mini it seems out of place. The Mac Mini is not for everyone. As a consumer you really need to understand the limitations of this thing. I still find it incomprehensible for Apple to not include 512 megs of RAM. I'm sure that the decision was made to hit the $499 price point. Apple is so good at providing a comprehensive out of the box experience I just can't see why 512 megs would not be standard. How many people actually use 256 megs and are content? None the less, the Mac Mini is real eye candy and irresistible despite its speed limitations for what's current CPU technology for a desktop.

It's about the Average User

Today's Editors' Notes Weblog at MacWorld really highlights how technical writers and power users are often out of touch with the average user. Dell's site has probably picked up 5% in the past week with all the technical folks comparing the Mac mini stats to a low end Dell. Let's look at the facts. On the average, a bottom of the line Dell 2400 is less expensive that the entry level Mac mini. If price were the only factor for purchasing a lower priced Dell or Apple then the conversation would be over, but there's more to the story.

Software: From my experience, average users purchasing a low end desktop typically don't ask questions about software they'll need after their purchase. iLife '05, Mail, iCal and other Apple apps are 1) integrated 2) included and 3) excellent. Once a typical user buys an Apple most of their software needs are fulfilled. Windows users are subjected to a below average Outlook Express for mail and there's no Calendar application (better get your wallet open for Office). While the Windows Media Player has worthwhile features, the Microsoft/Dell software bundle experience is dull and lackluster. Try adding up all the money you would spend on the software extras included with a Dell and you'll see how expensive things get. When an average user buys the Mini mac there's little extra software needed. Average users like that.

Genius Bars: If you're close to an Apple store you can take advantage of the Apple Genius Bar. Face-to-face, the Genius' will review any problems or questions you have with an Apple product. You can't do that with Dell or Microsoft. How much is that worth to the average user? Average users like that. (granted you need to have an Apple store near you, but there's always US based phone support)

Virus/Spyware/OS bugs: I've been part of IT long enough to experience the endless nightmare of keeping up-to-date with Windows viruses, spyware and OS bugs. Those don't go away with a Mini mac, but users can feel much more at ease. The frequency and urgency of these issues is minimal. Average users like that.

journalist, power users and technical pundits seem to get so lost in the technology they forget that sometimes there's more to a computer than just dollar value. To help articulate an Apple perspective you must get to know it and in the PC dominated world we live in that's unlikely. Average user: I'm thinking about you.

Apple Store Customer Service Experience

I live in the downtown Chicago area. My Apple store of choice is on Michigan Avenue. It's a beautiful store. The location is very typical of Apple's larger flagship stores. Consistently I've found the staff to be friendly and knowledgeable. I come at them with some pretty technical questions. Most of the staff can answer my questions. Even when there's a staff member that can't they quickly usher the support of another team member or politely refer me to the Genius Bar. It never bothers me if someone doesn't know the answer as long as I'm directed to how to get it. The staff has a great laid back appraoch that I think really works well with customers. Not all the staff receive an A, but most of the time their consistent.

Last week I was out in the Chicago suburbs. Apple has three Chicago suburban stores with representation at each major mall. I talked with two or three of the staff at the store and couldn't believe what a difference there was between this store and the downtown location. I observed staff not focusing on customers, freely talking about personal topics in front of the customer and having an ambivalent attitude. You might find this at non Apple stores, but compared to the location downtown it really stood out. Good thing I'm close to the downtown store.

Experience with Airport Express

My home wireless networking needs are pretty simple. I have a laptop and a computer in my toddler's room, which we use as a musical jukebox, that require wireless access. After three years, my Netgear wireless router finally died. I called Netgear and they, to my surprise, were willing to replace it at no cost. I was told it would take about a week before the new one would arrive. When the router died, my Apple desires kicked in. I thought this would be the perfect time to try out an Airport Express Base Station with AirTunes. While the Airport Express has many benefits, I was most interested in the size which is about 25% of my Netgear router. I didn't really have a need to take advantage of the remote iTune features or the USB printer sharing though I recognize the value of those features. Compared to a regular wireless router from Netgear or Linksys, an Airport Express is considerably more. After deciding to suck up the cost I decided to purchase the Airport Express. After getting home I anxiously opened up the box eager to setup the new device. From the instructions it seemed pretty simple. From my experience with multiple wireless products I figured it would take no time to setup. Of course this was an Apple product so how hard could it be. I was able to immediately connect to the Airport Express with my laptop. However, during the setup process I couldn't connect to my ISP despite multiple attempts. Worst of all, every time I configured my DSL settings my laptop lost connection. At the Apple web site I found a firmware upgrade note that described my problem. After installing the upgrade successfully I still had the same problem. Setting this thing up was taking too long. It was much more time than I would have thought. How much easier would this have been on a Mac? Once I hit the point of frustration I started looking at my free Netgear replacement. Then I took one more link at my $129 Airport Express. The Netgear replacement won. The Airport Express is a great product, but for some reason I just couldn't get mine to work. Even attempts at providing hard resets failed. I didn't bother to call Apple support or to replace the unit. I wasn't quite sure I was going to keep it when I purchased it, but after having some of the issues I threw in the towel. My Apple desire turned into Apple disappointment. That doesn't happen very often!

Thoughts on Mac mini

The release of the Mac mini is one of the exciting moments in Apple history. It's the day when Apple officially announced to Windows folks, "seriously...here's your chance to check us out". I can't tell you how many times I've heard PC users say, "I don't want to buy a Mac because I already have a monitor." The eMac and iMac lines have long provided included monitors which lock perspective buyers into a monitor configuration they can't distance themselves from. However, the Mac mini really provides the flexibility that PC users need to look to switching. And will some PC users switch because of this Mac? Absolutely. They will love knowing that they can take the keyboard, mouse and monitor they already own and just plug it right in. They will love the size and how cute and compact it is. Consumers will love the value of getting iLife '05 with such an inexpensive PC. So what are the shortcomings? The question is, can Apple provide the user experience they want on the Mac mini. Will the Mac mini users become frustrated when they realize their 256 megs of memory not be enough? Will users who want to download lots of music find that their 40 gig drive has filled up? Don't let the $499 fool you. By the time users add another 40 gigs of memory, upgrade to 512 megs of RAM and purchase an Apple Care package we've now gone up to the mid $750s. That price point alone is still very exciting for a quality Apple product. Sales will not be immediate, but with millions of potential switchers this might be the catalyst to tip them towards a Mac.

Thoughts on iPod shuffle

To display or not display...that is the question. Apple's new iPod shuffle is a flash memory device in a very crowded field. With well known and respected manufacturers like iriver the flash device field as serious competition. It makes sense for Apple to get in this area. With the release of the shuffle, Apple can leverage the iPod name as well as building the Apple brand. The device is small and sleek with a nice clean look. The device is extremely easy to carry in a pant pocket and is bulge free! As I started with, the shuffle is without a display. How will this play out? I like to know the name of a band or a song when I hear it on my iPod. I can only imagine shuffle devices not being purchased because of the lack of display. The device is most certainly a niche product. It's ability to plug right in to a USB drive is great. Time will tell how many times after installing and removing the shuffle from a USB port will it take a leave some scratch marks on that nice, white and clean exterior. Wow factor is average on this one. Count on the iPod hard drive products to drive volume.

Thoughts on iLife '05

It wasn't until iLife '04 that I thought much of the package. iLife '05 continues to build upon the strength of '04 with greater enhancements and functionality. What continues to make iLife so compelling is that 1) it's included with the eMac, iMac and the future Mac mini and 2) it's totally integrated. PC users are really out of touch with how much they end up paying for various types of software just to match what iLife provides. Consumers today buy PCs and then have to hunt down programs to manager their photos, music (OK...Windows Media Player comes with XP) and videos. Those programs are not always the best and they are not integrated. iLife '05 is a winner.

Thoughts on iWork '05

Is it me or does it feel like something is missing from iWork '05? I see a presentation program and I see a word processor but where is the spreadsheet program? iWork's retail price is $79 and is a fair price for it's offerings, but really falls short as a package. iWork doesn't seem to live up to the stature of a iLife type package. The price is positioned, most likely, to products like Microsoft's Office for Mac. The benefits of integration with the iLife suite as well as Spotlight (coming with Tiger) make it a compelling choice for those who have basic producitivty needs. This package should please those who look to Apple for their solutions. OpenOffice can fill the spreadsheet gap.

Getting The Word Out

My friends and work colleagues know my love for Apple products. I wanted to use this blog as an opportunity to share my own thoughts on Apple products with others. I like talking abouut all things technical and wanted a space to share my thoughts with others. So here we go!